Thirty-six mucosal COVID-19 vaccines have now entered human testing globally—a milestone that underscores how far the next generation of coronavirus vaccines has come since the pandemic's early days. This surge in clinical development represents a fundamental shift in vaccine strategy: moving beyond the injection-based shots that have saved millions of lives, toward intranasal and inhalable vaccines designed to work more like the virus itself, spreading immune protection directly at the point of infection.
The momentum became clear this month with a series of breakthroughs across multiple continents. In Africa, a phase 1/2 trial for an intranasal vaccine specifically designed for low-resource communities reached full recruitment—a critical signal that next-generation vaccines can be developed with equity in mind. Simultaneously, researchers in the UK published results from a pancoronavirus vaccine trial, while Europe registered a second phase 1 trial for a different broad-spectrum coronavirus vaccine. In Australia, another vaccine program expanded its recruitment efforts to a second city, Sydney, alongside ongoing enrollment in Perth.
What makes these advances particularly significant is their scope. The mucosal vaccines alone—designed to be inhaled or sprayed into the nose—represent a departure from traditional intramuscular shots. These candidates could theoretically provide more durable protection and block transmission more effectively at the respiratory tract where COVID-19 first takes hold. Pancoronavirus vaccines, meanwhile, aim even higher: they target not just SARS-CoV-2, but multiple coronavirus species that could pose future pandemic risks.
Among the vaccines making progress, SK Bioscience's protein subunit pancoronavirus vaccine stands out. The company, which has already secured vaccine approvals in South Korea and the UK, is now expanding Australian recruitment to cities beyond Perth. The approach harks back to traditional vaccine-making methods but applies them to the emerging coronavirus threat landscape. Meanwhile, VLP Therapeutics in Japan continues advancing a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine—a more sophisticated technology than the first-generation mRNA shots—with the Japanese government backing manufacturing facility development. Vaxart, another major contender, pushed back the release of phase 2b results to early 2027, suggesting the company is prioritizing robust, long-term data over rushed timelines.
The broader clinical trial ecosystem is equally busy. The COVID Human Challenge Consortium recently achieved full enrollment in its Omicron infection study, a specialized research approach where vaccinated volunteers are deliberately exposed to the virus in controlled settings—data that's invaluable for assessing true vaccine durability. Eight preclinical reports for next-generation vaccines also emerged this month, predominantly focusing on intranasal formulations.
What unites these efforts is a recognition that the pandemic isn't over—and the virus continues evolving. The push toward mucosal vaccines and pancoronavirus candidates reflects lessons learned: first-generation shots are powerful, but a more comprehensive arsenal could provide greater flexibility and resilience against future variants and new coronavirus threats. With dozens of candidates now in human trials across Japan, the US, Australia, Europe, Canada, and Africa, the infrastructure for protecting humanity from coronavirus variants—and perhaps from entirely new coronaviruses—is quietly taking shape.